Improvement in apparatus for stretching wire fences



.I. T. MANGHAM.

Apparatus for Strtching Wire Fences.

No. 136,528, 7 I Pate ntedMarc'h4,1873.

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JOSIAH T. MANGHAM, GATESVIIJLE, TEXAS.

IMPRCVEMENT IN APPARATUS FOR STRETCHING WERE FENCES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 136,528, dated March 4, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSIAH T. MANGHAM, of Gatesville, in the county of Ooryell and State of Texas, have invented an Improved Implement for Stretching Wire for Fences, of which the following is a specification:

The object of my invention is to provide a device for stretching wire from post to post in the construction of wire fencing, that is effectual in operation, simple in construction, can be cheaply made, and easily carried about from place to place; and the improvement consists in providing a-lever with a handle at one end and a windlass at the other end, that is formed to abut against the post to which the end of the wire is to be secured, so that the windlass takes up the slack of the wire and the lever is then turned around the post until the wire is tightly stretched and wound around the post to be secured to it.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my device when in position against the post and ready to wind the Fig. 2 is a detail, showing the arbor detached and the mode of securing the end of the wire.

A lever, A, of suitable length, is provided with a handle, a, at one end, and is forked at the other end to form a bearing for the arbor of the Windlass, and to permit the wire to be easily wound around it. The ends of the fork are connected together by a curved brace, 13, that abuts against the post around which the end of the wire is to be secured, and is curved to keep the end of the lever in place and permit it to be easily turned around the post for tightening and securing the end of the wire. A U shaped plate, 0, is secured to the forked end of the lever, and strengthens it at that point, and is bent at its ends to form a bearing, 0 c, on each prong of the fork for an arbor, D. The arborD is provided with a crank, d, at each end, and turns freely in its bearings, which are open at the handle end of the lever to permit the arbor to be disconnected from the lever when desired, as hereinafter described. A hole, d, is made through the middle part of the arbor, into which the end of the wire is inserted when it is to be stretched, and guide-pins e e are placed in the fork end of the lever in proper position to keep the wire on the arbor and between its bearings.

In operation one end of the wire is secured to the first post, the curved brace B at the forked end of the lever is then placed against the post to which the other end of the wire is to be secured. The end of the wire is then passed through the hole d in the arbor, and the workman turns the crank until the wire is wound around the arbor and sufficiently stretched. In order to wrap the end of the wire around the post to secure it in the usual way, and, if desired, apply additional power to stretch it further, the lever is turned around the post (which serves as a journal for the lever) a sufficient number of times to completely stretch and secure it. The arbor is then removed from its bearings so that it can be held in the hand of the workman to enable him to easily wrap and secure the loose end of the wire to the part which has been stretched, as shown in Fig. 2.

Various modifications can be made of this device without departing from the spirit of my invention. A pawl can be secured to the lever and a ratchet-wheel placed upon the arbor to prevent the wire from unwinding from it while the lever is being turned around the post; but, in practice, this has been found to be of little service, and adds to the cost of the implement and renders it less simple.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. An improved implement for stretching wire in the construction of fences, consisting of a lever provided with a Windlass at one of its ends, when these parts are combined to operate substantially as described.

2. The combination of the frame, the arbor,

and the open bearings that hold the arbor in position when operated as a Windlass, but permit it to be removed from the frame for wrapping and securing the end of the wire after it has been stretched, substantially as described.

J. T. MANGHAM.

Witnesses:

WM. H. ROME, Jon I. PEYroN. 

